Literary Analysis of When the Elephants Dance
Jonathan Garcia
English 4
4/4/13
It is always said that people die for their flag, but like Howard Zinn says, “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” During World War 2 the Philippines, one of the most innocent countries, was brutally murdered, raped, and tortured. As the battlefield between the United States and Japan the Philippines received the trauma of the war without any of the recognition. The Philippines were considered a “neutral” country during the war, yet they lost an estimated 6.6 percent of their population. (Howard) It was a tragedy to barely hear of such a massacre where innocent people were injured physically and mentally due to a war they were not even a part of in the first place. The book , When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe, follows innocent people through their horrific experiences that they had to go through during World War 2. The innocent characters have to live through anguish from being raped, having their children mistreated, and being dehumanized. Tess Uriza Holthe, in When The Elephants Dance, captures the dreadful reality that war harms the most innocent.
When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe provides horrible stories of innocent women being mistreated by men. During World War 2 when the Philippines were invaded by Japan, thousands of women were raped. They had nothing to do with guerrillas and were not an enemy to the Japanese army. Nevertheless, any woman caught by the Japanese army would usually end up being raped or even killed. In Isabelle’s story, she describes her experience with sexual assault. Isabel is taken to a motel when the Japanese captures her. She hears other girls getting raped and she knows that will also be her fate. Isabelle is still a virgin, which represents how pure and innocent she is. She is an innocent young lady whose only wrong was trying to find food for her family, yet she was captured and a big part of her life was taken away from her
English 4
4/4/13
It is always said that people die for their flag, but like Howard Zinn says, “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” During World War 2 the Philippines, one of the most innocent countries, was brutally murdered, raped, and tortured. As the battlefield between the United States and Japan the Philippines received the trauma of the war without any of the recognition. The Philippines were considered a “neutral” country during the war, yet they lost an estimated 6.6 percent of their population. (Howard) It was a tragedy to barely hear of such a massacre where innocent people were injured physically and mentally due to a war they were not even a part of in the first place. The book , When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe, follows innocent people through their horrific experiences that they had to go through during World War 2. The innocent characters have to live through anguish from being raped, having their children mistreated, and being dehumanized. Tess Uriza Holthe, in When The Elephants Dance, captures the dreadful reality that war harms the most innocent.
When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe provides horrible stories of innocent women being mistreated by men. During World War 2 when the Philippines were invaded by Japan, thousands of women were raped. They had nothing to do with guerrillas and were not an enemy to the Japanese army. Nevertheless, any woman caught by the Japanese army would usually end up being raped or even killed. In Isabelle’s story, she describes her experience with sexual assault. Isabel is taken to a motel when the Japanese captures her. She hears other girls getting raped and she knows that will also be her fate. Isabelle is still a virgin, which represents how pure and innocent she is. She is an innocent young lady whose only wrong was trying to find food for her family, yet she was captured and a big part of her life was taken away from her